Microsoft Makes New Push to Attract
Customers for BackOffice Software

Microsoft Corp. is mounting a new attack in the market for back-office business software, exploiting its strength in desktop productivity programs.

At the Comdex trade show in Las Vegas on Monday, Microsoft unveiled a new version of its database software that takes advantage of a new version of Office, its suite of desktop application programs. Microsoft currently ranks No. 3 in database software behind Oracle Corp. and International Business Machines Corp. But Office, which includes word-processing and spreadsheet...